Driving-gear.



No. 69l,l5|. Patented Jan. 14, P902.

6. M. LEEGH & S. D. EVANS. nmvma GEAR.

(Applicatidn filed Mar. 25, 1901.)

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

ATTORNEYS THE NORRIS FETEHS o0. vuoroumowwasmuumm u. c.

No. 69l,|5|. Patented Jan. 14, I902.

c. m. us'ecn; & s. n. EVANS.

DRIVING GEAR.

(Application filed Max. 25, 1901.)

. (No Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheer! 2.

- V I/1m a A TTORN E Y8 UNITED STATES ATENT FFIClE.

CHARLES M. LEEOH AND SEYMOUR D. EVANS, OF LIMA, OHIO.

DRIVING-GEAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 691,151, dated January14, 1902.

Application filed March 25, 1901. Serial No. 52,690. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, CHARLES M. LEECI-I and SEYMOURD. EvANs,citizens ofthe United States, and residents of Lima, in the county of Allen andState of Ohio, have invented a new and Improved Driving-Gear, of whichthe following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to a frictional gearing for use on automobilevehicles, marine vessels, and in all other connections in which it isdesirable to transmit a varying speed in one direction or the other.

This specification is a specific description of one form of theinvention, while the claims are definitions of the actual scope thereof.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a plan view of the invention applied to an automobilevehicle. Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan view of the gear. Fig. 3 is a sideelevation thereof. Fig. 4c is a section on the line 4 4 of Fig. 2. Fig.5 is a section on the line 5 5 of Fig. 3, and Fig. 6 is a detail View ofthe lock device for the lever.

According to the arrangement which we have here illustrated, arepresents the frame of the vehicle to which the gear is applied. Thisframe may be of any form desired so long as it properly mounts thevarious parts.

1) indicates a motor, and 0 indicates the shaft thereof, which isconnected by a crank with the connecting-rod of the motor, as will beunderstood. On this shaft are splined two friction-pulleys d and d, suchpulleys being in the form of a frustuin of a cone and placed with theirsmall ends facing each other. These pulleys are provided with collars 01connected with the arms d of a shifter 61 Which is mounted to slide on alongitudinallydisposed bar a, held by and forming part of the frame a.

The shifter 61 has a link 6 in connection therewith, and this link isconnected with a hand-lever e, fulcrumed on a suitable part of the frameof the vehicle, so that the handlever may be readily reached by thedriver.

(2 indicates a quadrant-bar, with which the lever 6 works, and actingwith this quadrantbar are two cams 6 mounted on the lever e and disposedoppositely. These cams e are connected by links e with a finger-lever 6mounted on the upper end of the handle 6'. By moving the finger-lever 6against the handlever e the cams e are moved out of engagement with thequadrant c and the hand-lever is then free to swing. A spring 6 isapplied to the finger-lever to throw it to outward position, thuslocking the camsc against the quadrant. By means of these devices thehand-lever may be locked on the quadrant at any point desired, and itmay be ad justed to a very slight degree and securely held, whicharrangement is therefore distinguished from the pawl-and-ratchet devicesusually employed in this connection.

Working with the friction pulleys or wheels (1 and d is afriction-wheelf, which is in the form of the frustum of a cone and whichhas a bearing-surface greater in area than that of either one of thewheels d and 01. According to the arrangement here shown the workingface of the friction-wheel) is twice that of the working faces of thewheels 61 and d. This wheelf is carried on a shaft f, which is disposedat right angles to the shaft a and mounted to turn freely and also toyield axially in boxesf fastened on the frame a. Intermediate the boxesf the shaft f is provided with a squared or other angularly-form edportion f on which is slidably fitted a sprocketwheel Thissprocket-wheel is therefore caused to turn with the shaft f and isadapted to be connected by a chain or other suitable form of gearwiththe driving-axle of the vehicle. The boxes f are provided with hoods orguardsf on theirinner faces, which hoods are arranged to receive theenlargement f of the shaft f as the shaft slides. This portion f 3 ofthe shaft is, however, capable of turning freely within the hoods whichserve to hold the sprocket-wheel) in proper position notwithstandingthat the shaftf may slide. The rear portion of the shaft f is providedwith a collarf formed integrally therewith or fastened rigidly thereto,and around the shaft rearward of the collar an expansivespring f isarranged. This spring presses between the collarf and a collarf", whichis splined on the shaft f and bears against a box f receiving looselythe rear extremity of the shaftf and holding the collarf in place. Theshaft f projects through the boxf and has a lock nut or nuts f appliedthereto. The spring f forces the shaft f and the friction-wheel fforwardly to the position shown in Fig. 4, and when a pressure superiorto that of the spring is applied to the wheel axially of the shaft f thespring is overcome and the shaft is forced to move axially, compressingthe spring and assumingthe position shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The shaftslides freelyin the box f and the locknutf prevents the shaft movingforwardly beyond the position illustrated in Fig. 4.

It will be observed that the friction-wheels d and d engage thefriction-wheelfat opposite sides of its axis. When the parts are movedto an intermediate position, (see Fig. 3,) the wheels (Z and d are notengaged with the shaft f and the shaft f is allowed to stand stationary.When,however,'the shifter d is thrown to the position shown in Fig. 2,one of the wheels (in this instance the wheel d) is engaged with thewheelf and the latter wheel is caused to turn. The degree or force ofthis engagement may of course be regulated by the movement of theshifter. In Fig. 2 the parts at and fare shown engaged almost, if notquite, to the gr'eatest extent, thus driving the shaftf at the highestpossible speed and also engaging the parts with such force aspractically to preclude the danger of lost motion. In this connection itwill be observed that the springf acts continuously to press the wheelstogether. By moving the wheel at to theleft from the position shown inFig. 2, but still engaging it with the wheel f, a slowermotion will beimparted to the latter-named wheel. This enables the entire movement ofthe au- 't o'm0bil'e or other apparatus to which our since by making oneof these wheels wider than the other they may be relatively shifted,

and at the same time the narrow wheel will bear throughout the whole ofits facial surface upon the broader wheel.

Having thus described our invention, we claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent 1. The combination of a drive-shaft,friction-wheels mounted thereon to turn therewith and having beveledfaces inclined toward each other, means for sliding the friction-wheelson the drive-shaft, a second shaft disposed transversely to thedrive-shaft and arranged to slide on and rotate in its bearings, afriction-wheel fastened to the second shaft and adapted to be engaged byeither one of the li rst-named friction-wheels, a means pressing thesecond-named shafttoward the drive-shaft, and a gear mounted on thesecond-named shaft and turning therewith to transmit movement therefrom,the said gear being stationary with respect to the axial movement of theshaft.

2. The combination of a drive-shaft, friction-wheels arranged to bedriven therefrom and movable longitudinallythereon, a second shaftrunning transversely to the first shaft and arranged to slide in itsbearings, a friction-wheel fastened to the second-named shaft andadapted to be engaged by the first-named friction-wheels, the saidsecond-named shaft having a port-ion angular in cross-section,stationary hoods into which said angular portion of the'second-namedshaft is movable as the shaft slides, means pressing the second shafttoward the firstnamed shaft, and a gear mounted on the angular portionof the seccud-named shaft to turn therewith, the gear being held fromaxial movement by the hoods.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses.

' CHARLES M. LEECH.

SEYMOUR D. EVANS. Witnesses:

FRANK M. LEECH, OLoYD E. LEEOH.

